Every month we bring you information and advice to help protect you, your family and the things that matter to you. And we help you understand your rights when you’ve been the victim of others’ negligence. As we near the end of a challenging year, we’d like to look back at some of the subjects we covered, and our best tips of the year.

Medical Mishaps Handled with CARe

We took a look at the rising trend of area hospitals handling medical injuries with CARe (Communication, Apology and Resolution) as a healthy alternative to the adversarial nature of medical malpractice lawsuits where, often, no one wins.In CARe, hospitals establish transparent lines of communication with patients and families, investigate problems or incidents, implement systems to avoid the recurrence of those incidents, and apologize and offer fair financial compensation without the need for a lawsuit.For cases that go to court, medical malpractice can involve far more professionals than just doctors or surgeons. These include acupuncturists, physician assistants, chiropractors, dentists, nurses and pharmaceutical companies. We outlined the basic requirements the courts require for a medical malpractice case: the patient-provider relationship must be established; the provider was negligent in their actions; the negligence caused harm; and the harm led to specific damages.We also looked at another common form of medical malpractice—nursing home or assisted living abuse and neglect. Signs that families or loved ones of residents can look for include: prescription drug errors; poorly equipped or trained staff; ignoring a patient’s disclosed medical concerns; unhygienic conditions; dehydration or malnourishment; and a failure to supervise residents. As always, the right attorney can help you determine if you have a good case and your available options.

Staying Safe Behind the Wheel

The rise of rideshare services has led to a corresponding rise in rideshare accidents. Figuring out who’s at fault can be tricky, which we covered in depth. For any accident, we still recommend following the standard steps following roadway crashes: call 911; record the information of drivers and autos involved; speak with any witnesses; screenshot your rideshare details and receipt; and seek medical care when necessary.Speaking of accidents, we also looked at the prevalence of drowsy driving accidents including the groups of people more at risk for impaired driving (like business travelers, young men and commercial truckers). To prevent these accidents, we suggested staying off the road when feeling fatigued, drinking a couple of cups of coffee, driving with a friend who could take turns behind the wheel and checking your medications for any warnings. If injured by another driver’s negligence, contact a qualified personal injury attorney to help explain your rights.

Falls, Grills and Pools

We reviewed the stats for common springtime accidents, including falls, bike spills, dog bites and playground injuries. A bit of preventative action can help by keeping on the lookout for uneven pavement or ground debris, wearing reflective coating when biking, muzzling dangerous dogs and regularly maintaining playground equipment.We offered some tips to prevent common backyard injuries in the warmer months. These included grilling safely away from children and pets, never leaving the grill unattended and avoiding using lighter fluid on an active fire.For those with pools, our tips included performing regular inspections and maintenance of drains, filters and slides; cleaning up broken glass; and keeping children under close supervision.

Carve Out a Safer Halloween

In the cooler fall season, Halloween comes calling. And though COVID-19 might have kept more kids at home this year, that’s exactly where most injuries occur, with pumpkin carving topping the list of risky activities. We recommended using specially designed safety knives or a marker, letting the kids scoop seeds while leaving the carving to adults, and using battery-operated votives for illumination. Now you can plan ahead for next year’s jack-o-lanterns.Of course, even with preventative steps, injuries and accidents still happen. But when they do, you know that we’re here to help. If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, we can explain your options and rights. Contact us today to get started.